Rosswog Running Blog

Early this morning (i.e., 5:30 am), I ran 5.4 miles at an easy pace over to Sugar House Park to meet up with my friends for a group run.  For our morning run we ran through the neighborhoods up Parley’s and over to 3300 South then we took the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to Foothill Mall before heading back to the park.  The total distance of this run was an even 10.0 miles at a 7:15 minutes-per-mile pace (two miles of this distance at marathon pace).  I then jogged 3.85 miles back home taking the most direct route from Sugar House Park.  Following some breakfast and a short nap, I slipped on my Vibram 5 Fingers and jogged 0.85 of a mile over to Smith’s to pick up some groceries and back.

While watching my Broncos get completely destroyed by my least favorite division rival (i.e., the Raiders), I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.  With the way the Broncos are playing, the Jazz regular season could not start soon enough (i.e., this Wednesday against the Nuggets).

Before attending my volunteer committee with the American Lung Association, I went out for a nice morning run over to the Lions Recreation Center then up to the Brickyard shopping plaza before heading back home. The total distance of this run was 6.8 miles at an easy pace. After I got home from work, I headed out for an evening run over to Big Cottonwood Park where I completed six laps around the softball complex before heading home and calling it a day. The total distance of this run was 3.4 miles at an easy pace.

Besides a 9.8 mile bike ride to and from work, my non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

After I got home from work today, I reluctantly headed out into the dark and the sleet for my daily run.  Needing to get in at least ten miles to allow me to meet my weekly millage quota while allowing myself to taper for the remaining part of the week for Sunday’s marathon, I was not motivated at all for this run.  Also, needing to pick up a few things at REI for my upcoming trip entailed running uphill and straight into the storm.  As I ran eastward to REI from my house, the wet snow was pelting me in the face.  I could not wait to change direction, but when I began to run north, the direction of the snow seemed to change, because it just kept pelting against me and when I began to run back from REI it just seemed to get worse when I was looking for a little relief.  In short, I was running into the wind and snow no matter what direction I ran.  I almost cut this run short several times (and might have if I was not preparing to taper for a marathon); however, I kept running and a few miles away from home, the sleet stopped and the weather was calm.   As I descended down 3900 South, overlooking the beautiful lights of the city, all of sudden I felt a great sense of achievement in that it seemed like Mother Nature was giving me break after a brutal uphill run.  In total, I was able to get in 10.1 miles at a slow, but challenging pace.

Finally, for my non-running workout, I completed 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and 60 (50 lbs) curls.

Following a particular busy day at work due to having to finish up on a number of tasks before taking a week of vacation, I ran from the International Center over to the airport by way of the bike path. The total distance of this run was 4.1 miles at an easy pace; that is, marking my first day of tapering for the Marines Corps Marathon.

In regards to my non-running workout, I completed my typical routine of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

I flew out to Baltimore this morning and after settling in at my sister’s house, I went out for an evening run over to Johns Hopkins University and completed five laps around the track before heading back.  On this second day of tapering for Sunday’s marathon, I ran 4.7 miles at an easy pace.

Before I left to the airport to catch my flight to Baltimore, I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

After watching my Jazz lose a disappointing game to the Suns last night (they still need to improve their transition defense),  I did some major sleeping in this morning especially since the game did not end until 1:30 am EST.  Consequently, I had a late breakfast and headed down to the MAC (Maryland Athletic Club) at the Inner Harbor and hit the treadmill.  After a half mile warm-up, I ran for mile at marathon pace, a quarter mile at threshold pace followed by 2.05 miles at a marathon pace.  Overall, a nice 3.8-mile run at a 6:58 minutes-per-mile pace.

Also, late in the afternoon, I headed out for a mile jog around Stadium Place (i.e., the old site of the Memorial Coliseum where the Orioles and Colts once played--a park, YMCA, and apartment complex are now on this lot) to finish my third consecutive day of tapering for the Marines Corps Marathon.

For my daily non-running workout, I was able to get in 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

After a good night of sleep, I woke up this morning and headed out into the chilly cool air for my final day of tapering before the big race.  The temperatures have really dropped in Baltimore over the past day to where it’s below freezing during the night; therefore, I’m a little bit worried about how cold it’s going to be before tomorrow’s race (i.e., I always seem to just about freeze to death before every marathon; case in point, I even bundle up for the D-News Marathon because even 60 degrees at the starting line feels cool to me).  Anyway, for my morning run, I jogged from my sister’s house on Yolando down to Lake Montebello where I completed one lap around the lake.  I headed back by way of climbing the stairs at the Montebello Edison Elementary School then up 33rd Street.  The total distance of this run was 4.2 miles at a very relax pace.

After the Stewart and Colbert Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, along with my sister and brother-in-law, we headed over to the Washington Convention Center for the MCM Expo.  With over 40,000 runners, the Expo was enormous with numerous vendors and lots of freebees.  Representatives were there from a number of marathons around the country, thus it was fun to check out the different cities and courses that I’ll be daydreaming about running.

Finally, before taking the drive down to DC, I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.